106th Street and College Avenue roundabout
The community's symbolic center, with a sculpture designed by Home Place residents.
Home Place · Carmel, IN
A 1914 streetcar plat, its own overlay, and small nonconforming lots
Home Place is the old interurban village at 106th and College — platted in 1914, unincorporated for a century, annexed by Carmel and now carrying its own overlay district. Small lots, small houses, and a lot of variance work when someone wants to add on.
History & architecture
How Home Place was built
The area began as Pleasant Grove, a farming settlement with a school, a church, and two sawmills.
In 1914 the Orin Jessup Land Company bought the farmland and platted Home Place along the Kokomo interurban line, betting that streetcar access up College Avenue would turn it into a commuter suburb.
It stayed unincorporated Clay Township — about 1,017 acres — for more than a hundred years, and residents fought Carmel's annexation from 2004 onward until the courts upheld it and the annexation was finalized.
The building stock reflects that history: 1910s–1940s cottages and bungalows on the original plat, postwar ranch infill, and a rising number of teardown rebuilds since annexation.
- Typical era
- 1914–1940s cottages with 1950s–60s ranch infill
- Lot sizes
- Narrow streetcar-era lots, many below current Carmel minimums
- Common types
- Bungalow, small cottage, ranch, and newer custom rebuilds
- Design review
- Home Place Overlay standards; no Certificate of Appropriateness
Landmarks & shared spaces
Places that anchor Home Place
Former Pleasant Grove Methodist Episcopal Church site
The origin point of the settlement that preceded the 1914 plat.
College Avenue interurban corridor
The former Kokomo interurban right-of-way that determined the street grid.
Home Place business district
The small commercial node at 106th and College, now the focus of a Main Street revitalization effort.
Monon Greenway
The trail corridor just east, linking Home Place to Broad Ripple and Carmel's Midtown.
Businesses & districts
Where Home Place gathers
106th and College
The historic business node — independent shops and restaurants, and the subject of the current sub-area plan.
College Avenue
The north–south corridor through the neighborhood, with small service businesses along it.
Keystone and US 31 corridors
Regional retail on either side of the neighborhood.
Zoning & overlays
Common zoning codes in Home Place
These are the base districts and overlays we see most often on Home Place lots. Always confirm your parcel's district and overlays on the Metro zoning map before design decisions get expensive.
R-2Residence District
Moderate density single-family: 9,000 sq ft minimum, 70 ft width, 25 ft front, 7 ft sides, 20 ft rear, 35 ft height, 35% coverage.
R-3Residence District
Higher density single-family and patio homes: 7,000 sq ft minimum, 60 ft width, 20 ft front, 6 ft sides, 15 ft rear, 35 ft height, 40% coverage.
R-1Residence District
Standard single-family district across many established Carmel subdivisions: 12,000 sq ft minimum, 80 ft width, 30 ft front, 8 ft sides, 20 ft rear, 35 ft height, 30% coverage.
Overlays that apply here
HP-OL
Home Place Overlay District
UDO Article 3 overlay covering the Home Place neighborhood, layered over the base residential districts to coordinate how properties are developed.
Plan
Home Place Sub-Area Plan
Reviewed by the Plan Commission in 2025 and intended for the Comprehensive Plan; it will shape future design guidance around the 106th and College business district.
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No historic design review
Home Place is not inside the Old Town Overlay and has no Certificate of Appropriateness requirement; the overlay is the design layer here.
Permitting path
- 1Home Place sits inside the Home Place Overlay District (HP-OL) in UDO Article 3, layered over the underlying residential districts, so check the overlay standards as well as the base district before design.
- 2Lots here were platted in 1914 under county rules and many are narrower or shallower than current Carmel minimums. Additions frequently trigger a Development Standards Variance at the Board of Zoning Appeals for setback or lot width.
- 3DOCS Planning & Zoning handles zoning clearance and overlay compliance; Building & Code Services issues the permit and inspections.
- 4The Home Place Sub-Area Plan went through Plan Commission review in 2025 and will feed into the Comprehensive Plan, so design guidance for the 106th and College area is still evolving — confirm the current standards with DOCS at the start of a project.
- 5Because this area was unincorporated until the Carmel annexation was upheld and finalized, confirm the parcel's water and sewer service status with Carmel Utilities before planning any plumbing work; a few legacy well and septic systems remain.
Why it matters
Home Place's place in Carmel
Home Place is a century-old community with an identity distinct from the rest of Carmel, forged over a decade of resisting annexation.
It is now one of the city's priority redevelopment areas, with an active Main Street organization and a sub-area plan aimed at keeping the small-town character while the business district grows.
It offers the smallest, oldest, and most affordable housing stock in Carmel, which makes it the city's most active market for additions and thoughtful rebuilds.
Events & festivals
What happens in Home Place
106th and College block party
Spring
Community street party tied to the neighborhood's revitalization effort.
Community mural and public art projects
Seasonal
Resident-led art projects in the business district.
CarmelFest
Early July
The citywide Fourth of July festival and parade.
Designing here
What this means for your Home Place project
- Expect nonconformity. Lots platted in 1914 routinely fall short of current lot width and setback minimums, so a Development Standards Variance is a normal part of the schedule rather than an exception.
- Check the Home Place Overlay standards alongside the base district. The overlay is what makes this neighborhood's approval path different from the rest of Carmel.
- Confirm water and sewer service with Carmel Utilities before planning a bathroom or kitchen addition — a handful of parcels carried legacy well and septic systems through annexation.
- Scale matters here more than in newer parts of the city. A two-story addition on a one-story cottage block reads badly from the street and cuts against the character the sub-area plan is trying to protect.
- Detached garages and studios count toward lot coverage, and on a narrow lot the side setbacks usually decide whether a garage fits at all.
- Small original houses often have knob-and-tube remnants, undersized panels, and no footing depth to speak of. Budget for the parts of the project no one sees.
FAQ
Questions about Home Place
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